Bit of an update today. I went to TGM to have Spoon gearbox & engine mounts and Eibach front and read adjustable anti roll bars fitted.
In case you haven't seen, I bought the mounts because the J's manifold has been touching the steering column when turning left. I originally solved it by having shims fitted on the engine mounts but it went from being fixed to happening again, albeit only on hard corners. I figured the OEM mounts are coming on to 10 years old now so they may be a bit saggy, so I decided to order some over night parts from Japan, namely the Spoon mounts which took around 4-5 weeks to arrive. After the mounts were fitted, the car had the Geo done and I had a little drive. The issue seems to have gone and the car feels a lot tighter now, especially the gear changes. Top little mod, and the bonus is that there's none of the vibration you get with ETD's or more solid mounts. The Spoon kit is rubber, just a bit harder than OEM.
Next up were the anti roll bars. The idea was to have the Ohlins turned down a little to be compliant over bumps (which they already are, to be fair) and use the Eibach to reduce the roll in the bends. There's two settings, soft and hard. I've decided to go for the soft option to see how I get on. The front is 32mm vs 26.5mm for the OEM and the rear is 30mm vs 25.5mm for the OEM (as measured using an electric gauge at TGM). They are red compared to the OEM black so I've got a fair few colours going on underneath the car now!
I've spent a lot of money on the car and done a lot of mods, but in terms of handling, today has been the single biggest improvement to the car. I've only driven it 90 miles or so home from TGM, but the difference is huge. I know a lot has to do with the combination of tyres, suspension, sway bars and mounts but I really am impressed with how it is now. There's a little roundabout near me that I always go round at 30. Most I've seen is 35 or so on a dry day, I exited it at just under 40 just now. Can't wait to get on a skid pan and then do some track days, the car feels like a complete weapon now in the bends yet remains possibly more compliant than OEM setups over bumpy roads. Perfect combination for me.